3.5 years in prison: ex-MP sentenced for illegal compensation for housing
28 November 11:21
On November 28, the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) found a member of the VIII convocation guilty of illegally receiving almost UAH 914,000 in compensation for renting a house in Kyiv. According to the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’ s Office (SAPO), the compensation was for renting a hotel room, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
The court found that the former MP took advantage of his official position and illegally received compensation, which qualifies as abuse of power or official position (Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
According to media reports, this is former People’s Deputy of the Verkhovna Rada Arkady Kornatsky.
Sentence
The court sentenced the former MP to:
- 3 years and 6 months in prison;
- deprivation of the right to hold administrative and organizational and managerial positions for a period of 3 years;
- a fine of UAH 8.5 thousand.
Possibility of appeal
The verdict can still be appealed within 30 days. An appeal must be filed through the HACC to the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court.
What is known about the case
Arkady Kornatsky is a Ukrainian politician, agrarian, lawyer and public figure. In 2014, he was elected to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine from the Mykolaiv region.
From 2014 to 2019, he was a People’s Deputy of Ukraine of the 8th convocation from the “Petro Poroshenko Bloc” party. He graduated from the Patrice Lumumba People’s Friendship University in Moscow, majoring in international law.
Recall that the NABU and the SAPO reported suspicion to former People’s Deputy Arkady Kornatsky in June 2024. According to the investigation, from 2014 to 2019, the former People’s Deputy illegally received compensation from the budget of the Verkhovna Rada Office for accommodation in a hotel room, which was assigned to people’s deputies who did not have their own housing in the capital. Having concealed the fact that he had his own housing in Kyiv, the deputy illegally received UAH 914,000 during the specified period.
In July 2024, the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court applied a preventive measure to Kornatsky: UAH 908,400 bail, and he was also assigned a number of obligations.
